JP2017095057A - Side airbag device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To develop and expand an air bag body upward more quickly.SOLUTION: An airbag body 41 stored in a stored mode is caused, by the expanding gas from a gas generator 30, to extend and expand between a portion from the breast of a crew member P to a head PH of a passenger P and a side wall portion of the vehicle. The inside of the airbag body 41 is partitioned, by a partition part 50 extending vertically, into a rear expansion part 56 arranged with the gas generator 30, a front expansion part 57 on the front side of the partition part 50, and an upper expansion part 58 for causing the rear expansion part 56 and the front expansion part 57 to communicate on the upper side of the partition part 50. The air bag body 41 takes, as a mode between an accommodation mode and a non-expansion extension state, an intermediate form, in which the upper portion 72 of the upper expansion part 58 is arranged on the inner side of a lower portion 73, and in which the vertical direction size is smaller than that of the non-expansion extension state. The airbag body 41 is equipped with a long overlapping part, in which a plurality of constitution parts extending individually vertically are overlapped in their thickness directions.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

  According to the present invention, when an impact is applied to a vehicle from a side due to a side collision or the like, an airbag is deployed and inflated between an occupant seated on a vehicle seat and a side wall portion of the vehicle, and The present invention relates to a side airbag device that protects a portion from a chest to a head from an impact.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a side airbag device that protects a portion of a passenger's upper body seated on a vehicle seat from a chest to a head from an impact caused by a side collision.

  In this side airbag device, a partition portion extending substantially in the vertical direction is provided in the airbag main body constituting the outer shell portion of the airbag. By this partition part, the airbag main body is partitioned into a rear inflating part on the rear side of the partition part and a front inflating part on the front side of the partition part. A gas generator is disposed below the rear end of the rear expansion portion. Furthermore, the partition part is provided with a communication hole for communicating the rear expansion part and the front expansion part. And the airbag is comprised by the said airbag main body and the division part.

  In the above-described side airbag device, the airbag body in a non-inflated and deployed state is configured to be stored by performing at least a first fold and a second fold. In the first fold, a so-called bellows fold is performed in which a portion above the gas generator in the airbag body in a non-inflated and deployed state is folded by a predetermined width along a plurality of fold lines extending substantially in the front-rear direction. . In the second fold, the airbag main body whose size is reduced in the vertical direction by the first fold is folded from the front toward the rear. The airbag and the gas generator thus compacted are accommodated in the seat back of the vehicle seat.

  According to the above-described side airbag device, when an inflating gas is generated by the gas generator in response to an impact caused by a side collision or the like, the inflating gas flows upward in the rear inflating portion. Further, a part of the inflation gas flows into the front expansion part through the communication hole while flowing upward in the rear expansion part. With the inflation gas, the airbag body in the stowed form is inflated while eliminating (deploying) the second fold and the first fold.

  The airbag body that is deployed and inflated in this manner pops out of the vehicle seat with a part left in the seat back. After that, the airbag main body is deployed and inflated in a gap between the above-mentioned part of the upper body of the occupant and the side wall part of the vehicle, and the impact from the side transmitted to the above-mentioned part through the side wall part is reduced.

JP 2014-237409 A

  By the way, in the above-described side airbag device in which the gas generator is disposed at the lower rear end of the rear inflating portion and the airbag main body is deployed and inflated at a wide side from the chest of the occupant to the head, Of these, the upper part, which is the part that protects the passenger's head, is far away from the gas generator. In addition, the gap between the upper body of the occupant and the side wall of the vehicle, which is a path through which the airbag body is deployed and inflated, is narrow. In order to deploy and inflate the upper part of the airbag body through the narrow gap in the same manner as other parts, it is important to deploy and inflate the airbag body faster and faster.

  In this respect, in the side airbag device in which the first folding including the bellows folding is performed on the portion of the airbag main body above the gas generator, the first folding is canceled (deployed). It is made in the direction between the direction and the vehicle width direction. As it goes in the vehicle width direction, the upward development is delayed.

  This invention is made | formed in view of such a situation, The objective is to provide the side airbag apparatus which can expand | deploy and inflate an airbag main body more rapidly upwards.

  A side airbag device that solves the above-described problems includes a portion extending from at least a chest portion to a head portion of an occupant seated in a vehicle seat by an inflation gas that is stored in a storage form and is supplied from a gas generator. An airbag main body that is deployed and inflated with a side wall portion of a vehicle is provided, and the inside of the airbag main body is positioned rearward of the partition portion by a partition portion that extends in the vertical direction, and the gas generator is A rear inflating portion to be disposed; a front inflating portion located in front of the partitioning portion; and an upper inflating portion communicating with the rear inflating portion and the front inflating portion above the partitioning portion, The front and rear dimensions and the vertical dimension of the airbag body are smaller in the storage configuration than the non-inflated and deployed state in which the airbag body is deployed flat without being filled with the inflation gas. In the airbag apparatus, the airbag main body is configured as a form between the storage form and the non-inflated and deployed state, and an upper part of the upper inflating part is disposed on an inner side of the lower part, and the airbag body is more than the non-inflated and deployed state. Also, an intermediate form having a small size in the vertical direction is adopted, and in the storage form, a plurality of constituent parts extending in the vertical direction are each provided with a long overlapping part overlapped in the thickness direction.

  According to the above configuration, when the partition portion is arranged, in the airbag main body, the flow path of the inflation gas including the rear inflating portion, the upper inflating portion, and the front inflating portion in which the gas generator is arranged is provided. It is formed. Therefore, when inflating gas is generated by the gas generator in response to an impact such as a side collision, most of the gas flows through the flow path, so that it is earlier than the case where the partition portion is not arranged in the airbag body. From above. Then, the inflation gas is supplied to each of the rear inflating portion, the upper inflating portion, and the front inflating portion, so that in the airbag main body in the storage form, a plurality of components in the overlapping portion are overlaid. It expands while eliminating (expanding).

  Here, in the airbag main body of the intermediate form, the upper part of the upper inflating part is disposed inside the lower part. When the airbag body is deployed and inflated, the upper part of the upper inflating part is pushed straight upward from the lower part under the pressure of the inflation gas flowing upward. It is. Therefore, the airbag body is deployed and inflated upward faster than Patent Document 1 in which the upper portion of the airbag body is folded in a bellows.

In addition, the partition portion is pulled and tensioned on both sides in the vehicle width direction in accordance with the deployment and expansion of the airbag body, thereby regulating the expansion thickness of the airbag body in the vehicle width direction.
As a result, the gap between the upper body (especially the shoulder) of the occupant seated in the vehicle seat and the side wall of the vehicle is narrow, but the entire airbag body including the upper inflating portion is narrow without clogging. It expands and expands accurately in the gap. Since the airbag main body deployed and inflated as described above is interposed in the gap, at least a portion of the occupant from the chest to the head is protected from an impact caused by a side collision or the like.

  In the side airbag device, the vertical dimension of the airbag body in the intermediate form is smaller than the vertical dimension of the airbag body in a state where the upper part of the upper inflating portion is disposed inside the lower part. It is preferable.

  According to the above configuration, when the airbag body takes an intermediate form between the non-inflated and deployed state, the vertical dimension of the airbag body is simply that the upper part of the upper inflation part is the lower part. It is smaller than the dimension in the same direction of the airbag main body in the state of being arranged inside. Therefore, when the airbag main body is put into the storage form, the vertical dimension is already reduced. In the storage form, the vertical dimension of each component is reduced, and the vertical dimension of the overlapping portion of the airbag body is reduced. The airbag body is in a compact form suitable for storage.

  In the side airbag device, in the airbag main body in the intermediate form, at least a portion above the gas generator in the airbag main body in a state where the upper portion of the upper inflating portion is disposed inside the lower portion. However, it is preferable that they are arranged in a state of being overlapped in the vehicle width direction with respect to the remaining portion.

  According to said structure, when an airbag main body takes an intermediate form, among the airbag main bodies of the state by which the upper part of the upper expansion part was arrange | positioned inside a lower part, at least the part above a gas generator is a remaining part. Is located at a location adjacent to the vehicle width direction. Therefore, the vertical dimension of the intermediate airbag body is the same dimension when at least the upper part of the gas generator and the remaining part are aligned in the vertical direction, that is, the upper part of the upper inflating part is simply It becomes smaller than the dimension of the same direction of the airbag main body of the state arrange | positioned inside the lower part.

  In the side airbag device, at least a portion above the gas generator in the airbag main body is composed of a plurality of portions adjacent to each other in the vertical direction, and the plurality of portions are each a vehicle with respect to the remaining portion. It is preferable that they are arranged in a state of being overlapped in the width direction.

  According to said structure, when an airbag main body takes an intermediate form, among the airbag main bodies of the state which the upper part of the upper expansion part has been arrange | positioned inside a lower part, it is at least above a gas generator, and mutually A plurality of portions adjacent in the up-down direction are located at locations adjacent to the remaining portion in the vehicle width direction. Therefore, the vertical dimension of the air bag body of the intermediate form is the same direction when at least the part above the gas generator is a single part and is located at a position adjacent to the remaining part in the vehicle width direction. It becomes smaller than the dimension.

  In the side airbag device, a lower end portion of the partition portion is located at a lower end portion of the airbag main body, and the rear inflating portion and the front inflating portion are provided at an intermediate portion in the vertical direction of the partition portion. It is preferable that a communication hole for communication is provided.

  According to the above configuration, a part of the expansion gas generated in the gas generator and going upward in the rear expansion part flows into the front expansion part via the upper expansion part as described above. Even before reaching the upper expansion part, it flows into the front expansion part by passing through the communication hole. Therefore, the pre-expansion part can start expansion and expansion before the expansion gas flows from the upper expansion part.

  According to the side airbag device, the airbag body can be deployed and inflated faster upward.

It is a figure which shows one Embodiment of a side airbag apparatus, and is a side view which shows the vehicle seat provided with the apparatus with an airbag and a passenger | crew. In one embodiment, the plane cross section which shows the positional relationship of a vehicle seat, an airbag, a passenger | crew, and a side wall part. In one embodiment, sectional drawing which looked at a vehicular seat, an air bag, a crew member, and a side wall part from the vehicles front. In one embodiment, the partial plane sectional view showing the internal structure of the side part of the seat back in which the air bag module was incorporated. The side view which shows the airbag module by which the airbag main body was made into the non-expanding deployment state in one Embodiment. 6-6 sectional drawing in FIG. FIG. 6 is a partial side sectional view showing an internal structure of the airbag module of FIG. 5 together with an occupant and a vehicle seat. The side view which shows the airbag module before the airbag main body is folded in one Embodiment. The side view which shows the airbag module by which the 1st folding was made | formed with respect to the airbag main body of FIG. FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line 10-10 in FIG. 9; It is a figure which shows the airbag module by which another folding was made | formed with respect to the airbag main body of FIG. 9, (a) is a side view, (b) is the rear view seen from the left of FIG. 11 (a). It is a figure which shows the airbag module by which another folding was made | formed with respect to the airbag main body of FIG. 11, and the airbag main body was made into the intermediate form, (a) is a side view, (b) is FIG. ) Is a rear view seen from the left side, and FIG. 12C is a sectional view seen from the lower side of FIG. It is a figure which shows the airbag module of the middle stage in which 2nd folding is made | formed with respect to the airbag main body of FIG. 12, (a) is a side view, (b) is sectional drawing seen from the downward direction of Fig.13 (a) . It is a figure which shows the airbag module by which 2nd folding was completed and the airbag main body was made into the accommodation form, (a) is a side view, (b) is sectional drawing seen from the downward direction of Fig.14 (a) . The partial cross-sectional view which shows the state which the airbag main body of FIG. 4 left the part in the seat back, protruded from the vehicle seat, and was expand | deployed and expanded. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional plan view showing an internal state of the airbag when the airbag body in FIG. It is a figure which shows the modification of the folding aspect of an airbag main body, and is a rear view corresponding to FIG.12 (b).

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a side airbag device will be described with reference to FIGS.
In the following description, the forward direction of the vehicle will be described as the front, and the reverse direction of the vehicle will be described as the rear. Further, with the center portion in the vehicle width direction (vehicle width direction) as a reference, the side approaching the center portion is referred to as “vehicle inside” and the side away from the center portion is referred to as “vehicle outside”. In addition, it is assumed that an occupant having the same physique as the collision test dummy is seated on the vehicle seat. This dummy is, for example, AM50 (a model that covers 50% of US adult males) of an international unified side collision dummy (WorldSID).

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, in the vehicle 10, a vehicle seat 12 is disposed in the vicinity of the vehicle interior of the side wall portion 11. Here, the side wall portion 11 refers to a vehicle constituent member disposed on a side portion of the vehicle 10, and mainly corresponds to a door, a pillar, and the like. For example, the side wall 11 corresponding to the front seat is a front door, a center pillar (B pillar), or the like. The side wall portion 11 corresponding to the rear seat is a rear portion of a side door (rear door), a C pillar, a front portion of a tire house, a rear quarter, and the like.

  The vehicle seat 12 includes a seat cushion (seat portion) 13 and a seat back 14 that is configured to stand up from the rear side of the seat cushion 13 and to adjust an inclination angle. The vehicle seat 12 is disposed on the vehicle 10 with the seat back 14 facing forward. The width direction of the vehicle seat 12 arranged in this way matches the vehicle width direction.

Next, the internal structure of the side portion on the vehicle outer side in the seat back 14 will be described.
A seat frame that forms the skeleton is disposed in the seat back 14. As shown in FIG. 4, a part of the seat frame is disposed on the vehicle outer side portion in the seat back 14, and this portion (hereinafter referred to as “side frame portion 15”) is formed by bending a metal plate or the like. Is formed by. A seat pad 16 made of an elastic material such as urethane foam is disposed on the front side of the seat frame including the side frame portion 15. A hard backboard 17 made of synthetic resin or the like is disposed on the rear side of the seat frame. Although the seat pad 16 is covered with a skin, the skin is not shown in FIG. The same applies to FIG. 15 described later.

  In the seat pad 16, a storage portion 18 is provided in the vicinity of the vehicle exterior side of the side frame portion 15. The storage unit 18 incorporates an airbag module ABM that forms the main part of the side airbag device.

  A slit 19 extends from the corner of the storage portion 18 diagonally forward and toward the vehicle exterior. A portion sandwiched between the corner 16c on the front side of the seat pad 16 and the slit 19 (a portion surrounded by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 4) constitutes a planned breaking portion 21 to be broken by the airbag 40 described later. ing.

The airbag module ABM includes a gas generator 30 and an airbag 40 as main components. Next, each of these structural members will be described.
<Gas generator 30>
The gas generator 30 includes an inflator 31 and a retainer 32 that covers the inflator 31. Here, a type called a pyrotype is adopted as the inflator 31. The inflator 31 has a substantially cylindrical shape, and a gas generating agent (not shown) that generates an expansion gas is accommodated therein. The inflator 31 has a gas ejection part (not shown) at its upper end. In addition, a harness 33 (see FIG. 5 and the like) serving as an input wiring for an operation signal to the inflator 31 is connected to the lower end portion of the inflator 31.

  As the inflator 31, instead of the pyro type using the gas generating agent, a type (hybrid type) in which a partition wall of a high pressure gas cylinder filled with a high pressure gas is broken with an explosive or the like to eject an expansion gas is used. May be.

  On the other hand, the retainer 32 is a member having a function of fastening the inflator 31 together with the airbag 40 to the side frame portion 15 while functioning as a diffuser that controls the direction in which the inflation gas is ejected. Most of the retainer 32 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape extending in a substantially vertical direction by bending a plate material such as a metal plate. Bolts 34 are fixed to the retainer 32 as locking members for attaching the retainer 32 to the side frame portion 15.

The gas generator 30 may be one in which an inflator 31 and a retainer 32 are integrated.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the outer shell portion of the airbag 40 is constituted by an airbag body 41.

<Airbag body 41>
FIG. 5 shows the airbag module ABM in a state where the airbag body 41 is deployed in a planar shape without being filled with the inflation gas (hereinafter referred to as “non-inflated and deployed state”). FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional structure taken along line 6-6 in FIG. Further, FIG. 7 shows the airbag module ABM in which the airbag main body 41 in the non-inflated and deployed state of FIG. 5 is cut at the center in the vehicle width direction for the occupant P and the vehicle, to show the internal structure of the airbag module ABM. It is shown together with the sheet 12.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the airbag body 41 is a vehicle in which a single piece of cloth (also called a base cloth, a panel cloth, etc.) is folded in two along a fold line 42 set at the center thereof. It is formed by overlapping in the width direction and joining the overlapped portions in a bag shape. Here, in order to distinguish the two overlapping parts of the airbag main body 41, the one located on the inside of the vehicle is referred to as a main body cloth portion 43, and the one located on the outside of the vehicle is referred to as a main body cloth portion 44. To do.

  In the present embodiment, the cloth piece is folded in two so that the fold line 42 is located at the rear end of the airbag body 41. However, the fold line 42 has other ends such as a front end, an upper end, The cloth piece may be folded in half so as to be located at the lower end or the like. The airbag main body 41 may be composed of two pieces of cloth divided along the fold line 42, or may be composed of three or more pieces of cloth.

  In the airbag main body 41, the outer shapes of the two main body cloth portions 43 and 44 are in a line-symmetric relationship with respect to the folding line 42 as an axis of symmetry. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the shape and size of the main body cloth portions 43, 44 are such that when the airbag main body 41 is deployed and inflated between the vehicle seat 12 and the side wall portion 11, the vehicle The region corresponding to the region from the chest PT to the head PH in the upper body of the occupant P seated on the seat 12 is set.

  As the main body cloth portions 43 and 44, a woven cloth formed using a material having high strength and flexibility and can be easily folded, for example, polyester yarn, polyamide yarn or the like is suitable. .

  As shown in FIGS. 5-7, the said coupling | bonding of the both main body cloth parts 43 and 44 is made | formed in the periphery coupling | bond part 45 provided in those peripheral parts. In the present embodiment, the peripheral edge coupling portion 45 is formed by sewing (sewing with a sewing thread) a portion of the peripheral edge portions of the main body cloth portions 43 and 44 except for the lower portion of the rear end (the vicinity of the folding line 42). Has been. This also applies to various connecting portions described later. The various coupling parts are the rear longitudinal coupling parts 53 and 54, the front longitudinal coupling part 55, and the like.

  Regarding the above-described sewing, in FIGS. 5, 7 to 9, 11 (a), 12 (a), 13 (a), and 14 (a), the sewing portion is represented by three line types. . The first line type is a line (a kind of broken line) expressed by arranging a certain length of thick lines intermittently (a type of broken line), which shows a state where the stitched portion is viewed from the side (the peripheral edge in FIG. 5). (Refer to the coupling part 45 etc.). The second line type is a line (a kind of broken line) in which fine lines having a certain length (longer than a general broken line) are arranged intermittently, which is, for example, the body cloth portion 44 on the vehicle exterior side. The sewing thread is located in the back of the sewing thread and is not directly visible (hidden) (see the front longitudinal coupling portion 55 in FIG. 5). The third line type is a line (a type of broken line) in which points are arranged at regular intervals, and this indicates a cross section of the sewing thread on the surface passing through the sewing portion (peripheral coupling portion 45 and the like in FIG. 7). reference).

In addition, the periphery coupling | bond part 45 may be formed by the means different from the sewing using the said sewing thread, for example, adhesion | attachment using an adhesive agent. This also applies to the various coupling portions.
As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the space between the main body fabric portions 43 and 44 and surrounded by the peripheral edge coupling portion 45 and the folding line 42 constitutes an inflating portion 46 that expands and inflates with the inflating gas. doing.

A partition part 50 is provided in the inflating part 46. The partition part 50 has the same configuration as that generally called a tether.
<Partition section 50>
The partition part 50 includes a pair of cloth parts 51 and 52 made of the same material as the airbag body 41. Both the cloth parts 51 and 52 are lower than the head PH in the upper half of the occupant P, and have a vertically long belt shape extending downward from the side of the part including at least the shoulder part PS. In this embodiment, the upper end part of the partition part 50 is located in the location slightly lower than the head PH. Further, the lower end portion of the partition portion 50 is located at the lower end portion of the airbag body 41. When the airbag main body 41 is in a non-inflated and deployed state, both the cloth portions 51 and 52 are in a state of being overlapped in the vehicle width direction.

The lower end portions of both the cloth portions 51 and 52 are coupled (sewed together) to the lower end portions of the main body fabric portions 43 and 44 by a part of the peripheral edge coupling portion 45 described above.
The cloth part 51 on the inside of the vehicle is coupled to the main body cloth part 43 on the inside of the vehicle by a rear longitudinal coupling part 53 that is provided so as to extend substantially vertically along the peripheral edge on the rear side. The outer fabric portion 52 is connected to the outer main fabric portion 44 by a rear longitudinal connecting portion 54 that is provided so as to extend in a substantially vertical direction along the rear peripheral edge.

  Both the cloth parts 51 and 52 of the partition part 50 are mutually connected by the front longitudinal connection part 55 provided so that it might extend in the substantially up-down direction along those front peripheral parts. The partition part 50 is spanned between the two main body cloth parts 43 and 44 of the airbag main body 41 by the coupling | bonding of the said form.

  A space on the rear side of the partition portion 50 in the expansion portion 46 forms a rear expansion portion 56. The gas generator 30 described above is disposed in the lower portion of the rear end in the rear expansion portion 56. Details will be described later. The rear inflating portion 56 is expanded and inflated mainly by the side of the rear half of the chest PT and the side of the shoulder PS among the upper half of the occupant P by the inflation gas from the gas generator 30. A space in front of the partition 50 in the inflating portion 46 constitutes a front inflating portion 57. The front inflating portion 57 is deployed and inflated mainly on the side of the front half of the chest PT in the upper half of the occupant P. In the expansion part 46, the space above the partition part 50 constitutes an upper expansion part 58 that allows the rear expansion part 56 and the front expansion part 57 to communicate with each other. The upper inflating portion 58 is deployed and inflated mainly on the side of the head PH in the upper half of the occupant P.

  As described above, the partition portion 50 has a function of partitioning the intermediate portion and the lower portion of the inflatable portion 46 into the rear inflatable portion 56 and the front inflatable portion 57, and the thickness of the airbag body 41 in the vehicle width direction (both It also has a function of regulating the distance between the main body cloth portions 43 and 44 (expansion thickness).

  A communication hole 61 through which the rear inflating portion 56 and the front inflating portion 57 communicate with each other is provided in an intermediate portion of the partition portion 50 in the vertical direction. More specifically, the front longitudinal coupling portion 55 is decoupled at the middle portion in the vertical direction. In the middle part of the partition part 50 in the vertical direction, the front longitudinal coupling part 55 that couples the cloth parts 51 and 52 is not provided. The portion where the coupling is released in the front longitudinal coupling portion 55 constitutes the communication hole 61.

And the airbag 40 is comprised by the said airbag main body 41 and the division part 50. FIG.
The gas generator 30 described above has a posture extending substantially in the vertical direction, and is accommodated in the lower portion of the rear end of the rear expansion portion 56. The harness 33 is pulled out to the rear of the airbag body 41 through a slit (not shown) provided at the rear end of the airbag body 41. All the bolts 34 of the gas generator 30 are inserted through the main body cloth portion 43 on the inside of the vehicle. By this insertion, the gas generator 30 is locked in a state of being positioned with respect to the airbag body 41.

  Furthermore, the main body cloth portion 44 on the vehicle exterior side has an exhaust hole 62 at its front portion. The exhaust hole 62 is a hole for exhausting excess inflation gas from the inflation portion 46 from the front portion of the airbag body 41 to the outside outside the vehicle.

  By the way, as shown in FIG.4 and FIG.14 (a), (b), the airbag module ABM which has the gas generator 30 and the airbag 40 as main structural members is compact because the airbag main body 41 is folded. (Hereinafter referred to as “storage form”). In the storage mode, each dimension of the airbag body 41 in the front-rear direction and the vertical direction is smaller than that in the non-inflated and deployed state. This is to make the airbag module ABM suitable for storage in the storage portion 18 of a limited size in the seat back 14.

  The airbag body 41 is made into a storage configuration by being folded as shown in FIGS. 8 to 14 with respect to the airbag body 41 in a non-inflated and deployed state. Next, the process of folding the airbag main body 41 will be described. When the folding direction is specified, it is assumed that the airbag 40 is attached to the vehicle seat 12, and “front”, “ Words such as “back”, “upper”, “lower”, “inner”, “outer” are used.

  FIG. 8 shows a state in which the airbag main body 41 in a non-inflated and deployed state in which the folding line 42 and the axis AL of the gas generator 30 extend in the vertical direction is viewed from the outside of the vehicle. A fold line 71 orthogonal to the fold line 42 is set at an intermediate portion in the vertical direction of the upper inflation portion 58 in the airbag body 41 in the non-inflated and deployed state.

  As shown by arrows in FIG. 8, the upper expansion portion 58 is folded so that the upper portion (portion above the folding line 71) 72 is positioned inside the lower portion (portion below the folding line 71) 73. A first fold (also referred to as a middle fold, an inner fold, or the like) that folds along the line 71 is performed. By this first folding, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the upper portion 72 of the upper expansion portion 58 is disposed inside the lower portion 73. The upper portion 72 overlaps the lower portion 73 in the vehicle width direction, and the vertical dimension of the same inflating portion 58 is about ½ before the first folding. Accordingly, the vertical dimension of the airbag body 41 is smaller than the vertical dimension in the non-inflated and deployed state.

  Here, if the upper end of the partition 50 is located at the upper end of the airbag body 41, the first folding cannot be performed. This is because the partition portion 50 spanned between the two main body fabric portions 43 and 44 hinders the upper portion 72 from being folded inside the lower portion 73. The first folding can be performed on the condition that the upper end of the partition part 50 is separated downward from the upper end part of the airbag body 41 (the upper end part of the peripheral edge coupling part 45).

  Next, in the airbag body 41 subjected to the first folding, at least a portion above the gas generator 30, here, a portion slightly above the upper end of the gas generator 30, the folding line 71 On the other hand, a fold line 74 is set in parallel. As shown by an arrow in FIG. 9, in the airbag main body 41, a portion 75 above the fold line 74 is folded along the fold line 74 to the vehicle outer side (front side in FIG. 9). This portion 75 corresponds to a portion at least above the gas generator 30. The portion 75 includes an upper portion 72 and a lower portion 73 of the upper expansion portion 58. As shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, most of the portion 75 is overlapped with the portion 76 below the folding line 74 from the vehicle outer side. This portion 76 corresponds to a portion (remaining portion) of the airbag body 41 that is different from the portion 75 (at least the portion above the gas generator 30).

  The vertical dimension of the airbag body 41 is the same dimension when at least the upper part (part 75) and the remaining part (part 76) above the gas generator 30 are aligned in the vertical direction, that is, simply the upper part. The upper portion 72 of the inflatable portion 58 is smaller than the size in the same direction of the airbag body 41 in the state where the upper portion 72 is disposed inside the lower portion 73 (FIG. 9).

  Next, as shown by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 11A, at least an intermediate portion in the vertical direction of the airbag main body 41 at least a portion above the gas generator 30 (a portion 75 folded downward). A fold line 77 is set parallel to the fold lines 71 and 74. At least a part (part 75) above the gas generator 30 is provided with a plurality (two) of parts 78 and 79 adjacent to each other in the vertical direction with the fold line 77 as a boundary.

  As indicated by an arrow in FIG. 11A, at least a portion 78 above the gas generator 30 (portion 75) has a portion 78 below the fold line 77 along the fold line 77. It is folded back to the vehicle outer side (the front side in FIG. 11A) and overlapped with the portion 79 above the folding line 77 from the vehicle outer side. 12A to 12C show the airbag main body 41 after the folding. Due to the above folding, the size of the airbag body 41 in the vertical direction becomes smaller than the size in FIG. 11A as well as the size in FIG. The form of the airbag main body 41 at this time is referred to as an “intermediate form”. Therefore, in the airbag main body 41 which is made into the storage form through the intermediate form, when the storage body is made into the storage form, the dimension in the vertical direction has already been reduced.

  Subsequently, second folding is performed on the airbag body 41 of the intermediate form. Specifically, fold lines 82 are set in parallel to the fold line 42 (axis line AL) at a plurality of locations in the front region Z1 of the airbag body 41 of the intermediate form. The region Z1 is a region in front of the substantially central portion in the front-rear direction of the airbag main body 41 in the intermediate form, and here is a region in front of the partition portion 50. And the said area | region Z1 is folded toward the back from the front by the roll fold repeatedly folded in the same direction along each folding line 82. FIG. By this folding, the airbag main body 41 becomes a form having a smaller dimension in the front-rear direction than the intermediate form as shown in FIGS. 13 (a) and 13 (b).

  Next, fold lines 84 are set parallel to the fold line 42 (axis AL) at a plurality of locations in the region Z2 on the rear side of the roll-folded region Z1 in the airbag body 41. And the said area | region Z2 is folded toward the back from the front by the bellows fold which changes the folding direction alternately and folds along each folding line 84. FIG. By this folding, the airbag main body 41 becomes the storage form shown in FIGS. 14 (a) and 14 (b).

  Note that the folding in the vertical direction is not performed in the process in which the airbag main body 41 in the intermediate form is put into the storage form. When the storage form is adopted, the vertical dimension reduced in the intermediate form is maintained.

  As shown in FIGS. 14 (a) and 14 (b), the airbag main body 41 in the storage form includes a long overlapping portion 85. The overlapping portion 85 includes a plurality of constituent portions 86 that extend in the vertical direction. The plurality of components 86 are overlapped in the thickness direction thereof.

  As described above, when the airbag main body 41 is in the storage configuration, the vertical dimension is already small. Therefore, in the storage configuration, the vertical dimension of each component 86 is small, The vertical dimension of the overlapping portion 85 in the bag body 41 is small.

  As described above, the airbag module ABM in which the airbag body 41 is stored is smaller in the vertical direction and in the front-rear direction, and is smaller than the narrow storage portion 18 of the seat back 14. Also suitable for storage.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the airbag module ABM in the storage form is disposed in the storage unit 18. Bolts 34 that extend from the retainer 32 and are inserted into the main body cloth portion 43 on the inner side of the airbag main body 41 are inserted into the side frame portion 15 from the outer side of the vehicle. The gas generator 30 is fixed to the side frame portion 15 together with the airbag 40 by tightening the nut 35 to the bolt 34 from the inside of the side frame portion 15.

Note that the gas generator 30 may be fixed to the side frame portion 15 by a member different from the bolt 34 and the nut 35 described above.
As shown in FIG. 1, the side airbag device includes an impact sensor 91 and a control device 92 in addition to the above-described airbag module ABM (see FIG. 2). The impact sensor 91 is composed of an acceleration sensor or the like, and is provided on the side wall 11 (see FIG. 2) or the like, and detects an impact applied to the side wall 11 from the side. The control device 92 controls the operation of the gas generator 30 based on the detection signal from the impact sensor 91.

  Further, the vehicle 10 is equipped with a seat belt device for restraining the occupant P seated on the vehicle seat 12 to the vehicle seat 12, but in FIG. It is omitted.

Next, the operation of the side airbag device of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described.
In this side airbag device, when no impact is applied from the side to the side wall 11 of the vehicle 10 due to a side collision or the like, an operation signal for operating the gas generator 30 is not output from the control device 92. . The inflation gas is not supplied to the airbag 40 from the gas generator 30. The airbag module ABM continues to be stored in the storage portion 18 in the storage mode (see FIG. 4).

  On the other hand, when the vehicle 10 is traveling, an impact of a predetermined value or more is applied to the side wall 11 from the side due to a side collision or the like, and when this is detected by the impact sensor 91, the control device is based on the detection signal. An operation signal for operating the gas generator 30 is output from the gas generator 30. In response to this operation signal, the gas generator 30 generates a high-pressure expansion gas.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the partition part 50 is bridged between the two main body cloth parts 43, 44, whereby the rear inflating part in which the gas generator 30 is arranged in the airbag main body 41. 56, an expansion gas flow path including an upper expansion portion 58 and a front expansion portion 57 is formed. Further, in the airbag main body 41, an inflating gas flow path including a rear inflating portion 56, a communication hole 61, and a front inflating portion 57 is formed. The channel area (cross-sectional area) of the communication hole 61 is smaller than the channel area (cross-sectional area) at the upper expansion portion 58. Therefore, most of the inflation gas is guided upward from a time earlier than when the partition portion 50 is not disposed in the airbag body 41 by flowing through the former flow path.

In addition, part of the inflation gas that moves upward in the rear expansion portion 56 flows into the front expansion portion 57 by passing through the communication hole 61 even before flowing into the front expansion portion 57 via the upper expansion portion 58. To do.
Then, the inflation gas is supplied to each of the rear inflating portion 56, the upper inflating portion 58, and the front inflating portion 57, so that the airbag main body 41 in the storage form (see FIGS. 14A and 14B). However, it expands while canceling (deploying) each of the second fold and the first fold. In other words, in the airbag main body 41 in the storage form, the plurality of constituent portions 86 in the overlapping portion 85 are inflated while eliminating (deploying) the overlapped state.

Further, the front expansion portion 57 into which the expansion gas has flowed through the communication hole 61 starts to expand and expand before the expansion gas flows in from the upper expansion portion 58.
In the process of deploying and inflating the airbag main body 41 as described above, the seat pad 16 of the seat back 14 is pressed by the airbag main body 41 and is broken at the planned breaking portion 21 in FIG. As shown in FIG. 15, the airbag main body 41 jumps out from the seat back 14 to the front of the vehicle 10 in a state where the rear end portion of the airbag main body 41 is left in the storage portion 18 together with the gas generator 30 and the like.

  Thereafter, as the supply of the inflation gas continues, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the rear inflation portion 56 in the airbag main body 41 is located on the side of the shoulder portion PS of the occupant P and the rear half portion of the chest portion PT. Expands and expands laterally. The front inflating portion 57 is deployed and inflated on the side of the front half of the chest PT of the occupant P, and the upper inflating portion 58 is deployed and inflated on the side of the head PH of the occupant P. In this manner, the airbag body 41 is a narrow gap between the portion from the chest PT to the head PH and the side wall 11 of the vehicle 10 in the upper body of the occupant P seated on the vehicle seat 12. Expand and expand.

  Here, the second folding is performed by folding the airbag body 41 that is first folded from the front toward the rear. Therefore, the second folding is canceled (deployed) from the rear to the front.

  The first folding is performed by folding the upper part 72 of the upper inflating part 58 in the non-inflated and deployed airbag body 41 so as to be located inside the lower part 73. As shown in FIG. 10, the first folding is released (expanded), as shown in FIG. 10, the upper portion 72 of the upper inflatable portion 58 that is disposed inside the lower portion 73 by being folded back flows upward. It is made by receiving the pressure of the gas and pushing it straight upward from the lower part 73. Therefore, the part above the gas generator 30 in the airbag main body 41 is deployed and inflated upward faster than the bellows-folded Patent Document 1.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 16, the partition portion 50 is pulled and tensioned on both sides in the vehicle width direction in accordance with the deployment and expansion of the airbag body 41, so that the vehicle width of the airbag body 41 is increased. Regulates the expansion thickness in the direction.

  As a result, although the gap between the upper body (particularly the shoulder PS) of the occupant P seated on the vehicle seat 12 and the side wall 11 of the vehicle 10 is narrow, the entire airbag body 41 including the upper inflating portion 58. However, it expands and expands accurately in this narrow gap without clogging. The airbag main body 41 deployed and inflated as described above is interposed in the gap, so that at least a portion of the occupant P from the chest PT to the head PH is restrained. Moreover, the impact from the side transmitted to the said site | part of the passenger | crew P through the side wall part 11 is relieved.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 7, since the partition part 50 is not provided in the upper inflating part 58, the above inflating part 58 does not restrict the inflating thickness as described above. However, the gap between the head PH and the side wall 11 is wider than the gap between the shoulder PS and the side wall 11. Therefore, there is no problem even if the upper expansion portion 58 expands with a large expansion thickness in the vehicle width direction. Rather, as the expansion thickness increases, the amount by which the upper expansion portion 58 absorbs collision energy increases, and the head PH of the occupant P can be more appropriately protected from impact.

  By the way, as shown in FIG. 5, surplus inflation gas in the inflating portion 46 is discharged to the vehicle outer side than the main body cloth portion 44 on the vehicle outer side through the exhaust hole 62. By this discharge, the internal pressure of the inflating portion 46 is reduced, and the occupant P is restrained by an appropriate pressing force by the inflating portion 46 and protected from impact.

According to the embodiment described in detail above, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) The clearance gap between the passenger | crew P and the side wall part 11 of the vehicle 10 is narrow (FIG. 3).
However, by disposing the partition part 50 extending in the vertical direction in the airbag body 41, the airbag body 41 is positioned behind the partition part 50, and the post-expansion in which the gas generator 30 is disposed. A section 56 is divided into a front expansion section 57 located on the front side of the partition section 50, and an upper expansion section 58 that allows the rear expansion section 56 and the front expansion section 57 to communicate with each other on the upper side of the partition section 50 (FIG. 7). .

  The airbag main body 41 has an upper part 72 of the upper inflating part 58 disposed inside the lower part 73 (FIG. 10) as a form between the storage form and the non-inflated and deployed state, and is more vertically oriented than the non-inflated and deployed state. The intermediate form (FIG. 12A) having a small size is adopted. In the storage form, the airbag main body 41 includes a long overlapping portion 85 in which a plurality of constituent portions 86 extending in the vertical direction are overlapped in the thickness direction (FIGS. 14A and 14B). ).

  Therefore, by directing the inflation gas supplied from the gas generator 30 upward by the partition part 50, the airbag body 41 is directed upward from an earlier time than when the partition part 50 is not provided. Can begin to expand and inflate.

  Further, in the portion of the airbag body 41 that is on the side of the shoulder portion PS of the occupant P, the partition portion 50 can regulate the inflated thickness in the vehicle width direction. The gap between the shoulder PS and the side wall 11 of the vehicle 10 is particularly narrow, but the airbag body 41 can be deployed and inflated in this narrow gap (FIG. 3).

  Further, when the airbag body 41 is deployed and inflated, the upper portion 72 of the upper inflatable portion 58 that is disposed inside the lower portion 73 is pushed straight upward by the pressure of the inflation gas flowing upward. Thus, the airbag body 41 can be deployed and inflated faster upward (FIG. 10).

  As a result, the entire airbag main body 41 can be deployed and inflated in a narrow gap between the occupant P (particularly the shoulder portion PS) and the side wall portion 11. By interposing the deployed and inflated airbag main body 41 in the gap, it is possible to appropriately protect the part from the chest PT of the occupant P to the head PH from an impact caused by a side collision or the like.

  In particular, the upper inflating portion 58 of the airbag main body 41 is far from the gas generator 30, but the upper inflating portion 58 is appropriately deployed and inflated on the side of the head PH of the occupant P to PH can be protected from impact (FIG. 7).

(2) Of the airbag main body 41, the partition part 50 is not provided in the upper inflating part 58 that is deployed and inflated on the side of the head PH of the occupant P (FIG. 7).
Therefore, the expansion thickness of the upper expansion part 58 can be ensured, and the performance of protecting the head PH from an impact can be enhanced.

  (3) The vertical dimension of the intermediate airbag body 41 is set to be smaller than the vertical dimension of the airbag body 41 in a state where the upper portion 72 of the upper inflating portion 58 is disposed inside the lower portion 73. (FIG. 12A, FIG. 9).

  Therefore, when the airbag main body 41 is put into the storage form, the vertical dimension is already reduced. Therefore, in the storage form, the vertical dimension of each component 86 is reduced, the vertical dimension of the overlapping portion 85 in the airbag body 41 is reduced, and the airbag body 41 is compact and suitable for storage. It can be made into a form (FIGS. 14A and 14B).

  (4) In the airbag main body 41 in the intermediate form, at least a portion (part 75) above the gas generator 30 in the airbag main body 41 in a state where the upper part 72 of the upper inflating part 58 is disposed inside the lower part 73. ) In a state of being overlapped in the vehicle width direction with respect to the remaining portion (portion 76) (FIGS. 12A and 12B).

  Therefore, the size of the airbag main body 41 in the intermediate form in the vertical direction is such that at least the part (part 75) above the gas generator 30 and the remaining part (part 76) are aligned in the vertical direction (FIG. 9). It can be made smaller than the dimension in the same direction, and the effect (3) can be obtained.

  (5) Of the airbag main body 41, at least a part (part 75) above the gas generator 30 is constituted by a plurality of parts (parts 78 and 79) adjacent to each other in the vertical direction, and these parts (parts) 78, 79) are arranged so as to be overlapped in the vehicle width direction with respect to the remaining part (part 76) (FIG. 12B).

  Therefore, the vertical dimension of the airbag body 41 in the intermediate form can be made smaller than the dimension in the same direction when at least the upper part (part 75) of the gas generator 30 is a single part. The effect of (3) can be obtained more suitably.

  (6) The lower end portion of the partition portion 50 is positioned at the lower end portion of the airbag body 41. A communication hole 61 through which the rear expansion portion 56 and the front expansion portion 57 communicate with each other is provided in an intermediate portion in the vertical direction of the partition portion 50 (FIG. 5).

  Therefore, even before the expansion gas flows into the front expansion portion 57 via the upper expansion portion 58, the expansion gas is caused to flow into the front expansion portion 57 from the communication hole 61 so that the front expansion portion 57 is expanded and Can begin to inflate.

In addition, the said embodiment can also be implemented as a modification which changed this as follows.
<About the storage unit 18>
A portion corresponding to the storage portion 18 may be provided in the side wall portion 11 instead of the seat back 14 of the vehicle seat 12, and the airbag module ABM may be incorporated therein.

<About the gas generator 30>
The gas generator 30 may be configured only by the inflator 31 having the bolt 34 without using the retainer 32.

<About inflating part 46>
The airbag main body 41 may be substantially composed of the inflating portion 46 as in the above embodiment, but has a non-inflating portion that does not inflate without being supplied with the inflation gas. It may be a thing.

-The area | region of the passenger | crew P restrained and protected by the expansion part 46 may be expanded below the chest PT.
<Folding the airbag body 41>
In the above embodiment, a combination of roll folding and bellows folding is performed as the second folding, but only roll folding or only bellows folding may be performed.

  In the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12 (b), the entire portion 78 folded back along the fold line 77 is overlapped on the vehicle exterior side of the portion 79. Instead of this, FIG. As described above, a part of the portion 78 (a portion including the lower portion 73) may be further folded back to the vehicle interior side.

  Of the airbag body 41 in a state where the upper part 72 of the upper inflating part 58 is arranged inside the lower part 73, the size and shape of the part arranged in a state of being overlapped in the vehicle width direction with respect to the remaining part are at least gas It can be changed on the condition that it is above the generator 30.

  In the airbag main body 41, at least a portion above the gas generator 30 may be configured by a plurality of three or more portions that are adjacent to each other in the vertical direction. Also in this case, it is desirable that the plurality of portions be arranged in a state where they are overlapped with each other in the vehicle width direction.

<Regarding partition 50>
-The division part 50 may be comprised by the single cloth piece.
-The position of the upper end part of the division part 50 in an up-down direction can be changed on the condition that it is a part below the passenger | crew's P head PH, and is a site | part including at least the shoulder part PS. For example, the position of the upper end part of the partition part 50 may be changed to the side of the shoulder part PS.

  -The position of the lower end part of the division part 50 in an up-down direction may be the lower end part of the airbag main body 41, and may be changed upwards rather than a lower end part. In the latter case, the lower end portion of the partition portion 50 is separated upward from the lower end portion of the peripheral edge coupling portion 45.

<Others>
The airbag module ABM may be disposed in the storage unit 18 and fixed to the side frame unit 15 in a state of being stored in a case (not shown).

  -Vehicles to which the side airbag device is applied include not only private vehicles but also various industrial vehicles.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Vehicle, 11 ... Side wall part, 12 ... Vehicle seat, 30 ... Gas generator, 41 ... Airbag main body, 50 ... Partition part, 56 ... Rear inflating part, 57 ... Front inflating part, 58 ... Upper inflating part, 61 ... Communication hole, 72 ... Upper part of upper expansion part, 73 ... Lower part of upper expansion part, 75,76,78,79 ... Part, 85 ... Overlapping part, 86 ... Component part, P ... Crew, PH ... Head , PT ... chest.

Claims (5)

Expansion and expansion between at least a region from the chest to the head of the occupant seated in the vehicle seat and the side wall of the vehicle by the expansion gas stored in the storage form and supplied from the gas generator Equipped with an airbag body
The airbag body has a partition part extending in the vertical direction and is positioned rearward of the partition part, and a rear inflating part in which the gas generator is disposed, and a front part positioned before the partition part. Partitioned into an inflating part and an upper inflating part communicating the rear inflating part and the front inflating part above the partitioning part;
Each dimension of the airbag body in the front-rear direction and the up-down direction is smaller in the storage configuration than the non-inflated and deployed state in which the airbag body is deployed in a planar shape without being filled with the inflation gas. An airbag device,
The airbag main body is configured as a form between the storage form and the non-inflated and deployed state, and an upper part of the upper inflatable part is disposed on the inner side of the lower part and has a dimension in a vertical direction as compared with the non-inflated and deployed state. A side airbag device having a long overlapping portion in which a plurality of constituent portions extending in the vertical direction are overlapped in the thickness direction in a small intermediate form and in the storage form.   2. The side according to claim 1, wherein a size in a vertical direction of the airbag body in the intermediate form is smaller than a size in a vertical direction of the airbag body in a state where an upper part of the upper inflating portion is disposed inside a lower part. Airbag device.   In the airbag main body in the intermediate form, at least a portion above the gas generator of the airbag main body in a state where the upper part of the upper inflating part is disposed inside the lower part is a vehicle width with respect to the remaining part. The side airbag apparatus of Claim 2 arrange | positioned in the state piled up in the direction. Of the airbag body, at least the portion above the gas generator is composed of a plurality of portions adjacent to each other in the vertical direction,
The side airbag device according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of portions are arranged in a state of being overlapped with each other in the vehicle width direction with respect to the remaining portion. The lower end of the partition is located at the lower end of the airbag body,
The side airbag device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a communication hole that allows the rear inflating portion and the front inflating portion to communicate with each other is provided in an intermediate portion in the vertical direction of the partition portion.

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